OCR Text |
Show affect about 22 miles of stream below the reservoir. Approximately 14 miles of this section of stream is rated by the state as Class IV and thus of minor importance to the fishery resource. The upper 8 miles of the affected section is Class II water. Under Unit conditions, it is expected that about 75 percent would be classified lower than Class III. The reduced stream flows would also have adverse impacts upon existing streamside vegetation and upon those organisms including beaver, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, etc. that have evolved into dependency upon wet streamside habitats. Aquatic invertebrate and algal populations would also be subject to change as the water discharge and velocity would be reducedo Increased water temperatures could also occur. The impacts of potential water temperature increases have not yet been evaluated. The cooperating agencies did not recommend multi- level reservoir outlets since the amount of annual water exchange would be sufficient to maintain adequate mixing and oxygenation of water. Construction of Currant Creek Dam and Reservoir would have other impacts in addition to those which concern fish and wildlife. The Forest Service reports that 160 cow- months of livestock grazing would be lost because of inundation of land. About 4 miles of fence would be relocated to control grazing patterns of sheep and cattle. Normal trailing of eight bands of sheep would be altered. The reservoir would also cover a small part of the coal bearing Mesaverde Formation in the area of Coal Mine Hollow. Several coal beds have been found in the formation ranging in thickness from a few inches to several feet. An estimated 1,000 tons of coal were mined prior to 1907. The coal is not presently being mined and it doesnTt appear that it will be in the foreseeable future. According to the Bureau of Mines report an insignificant amount of coal would be inundated. Water quality would not be significantly affected by inundation of the coal- bearing strata. The proposed reservoir would be expected to have outstanding fishing and recreational potential because of its attractive mountain setting, favorable shoreline for development, and a planned maximum annual drawdown of only 4 feet. The National Park Service estimated that annual utilization following initial development of facilities would approximate 42,500 visitation. The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife estimated that the reservoir would provide 47,600 man- days of angling each year. Additional sport fishing gains would be achieved by improving minimum flows above 224 |